Ellis May
Ellis Meredith Eirian May ''(b.23 December, 2005)'' is a pure-blood English wizard currently enrolled in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As of September 2018, he is a second year in Ravenclaw House. Appearance Ellis is quite pale as a result of the sunless weather at Hogwarts, and on top of that he dislikes outdoor activities, preferring to read books or research inside instead. He’s above average in terms of height, though looks taller than he is because he rarely slouches. He has blue eyes whose colour appear to be halfway between cerulean and cobalt, but appears to be black when seen from afar. He is fairly lithe, even if it isn’t always visible since he is always donning heavy cloaks and gloves even in the summer. Speaking of which, a big part of why he wears gloves is to cover up a burn scar he got from a Muggle stove that might seem off-putting to others, though he couldn’t care less. He has fine and wispy black hair that’s rarely seen unkempt, reaching about ear length. Other identifying characteristics of Ellis’ is his expression—it’s nearly always an indifferent stare that he tries to diminish by ‘smiling’ slightly every so often (in these circumstances, he either thought he smiled, or it would look like more of a smirk). When conversing with others, he rarely complains unless he wants to sound 'relatable,' and is generally very collected. Background Before School (2005 – 2016) Ellis was born into the old pure-blood Selwyn family dwelling primarily in Anglesey, Wales. They were also one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, even Dolores Umbridge once claimed to be related to them. Despite being immensely wealthy before the Second Wizarding War, the family suffered many damages during and after. Its members split into half with the former pledging loyalty to Lord Voldemort, the latter who differed with the first half settled to Scotland to escape persecution from the Death Eaters. After the war, those who joined forces with Lord Voldemort were either thrown into Azkaban or killed, causing the Selwyns to lose most of its members. This took a tremendous toll on the family. The ones who didn’t join the Death Eaters were accused of joining them, with many moving overseas to temporarily alleviate themselves from the chaos. This group was nicknamed the Modernists, as they encouraged marrying half-bloods, Muggle-borns, and even Muggles to prevent the line from dying out. The other half was called the Traditionalists stayed in England and maintained many customs including blood-purity. To no one’s surprise, the Traditionalists soon died out whilst the Modernists thrived after they moved back to their home country. Ellis’ mother, Sonorie Selwyn was working in a remote European village as a Herbologist when she met Andreas May, a German-British astronomer and the two married before returning to England, where they lived in the county of Wiltshire, but travelled frequently to Scotland and Wales. Together the couple had three children: Eirlys the oldest, Ellis, and the youngest Llywelyn. Everything seemed to go well for the family—Sonorie and Andreas both made advances in their careers, regaining the riches the Selwyns had lost during the war. Their children were very bright, exhibiting early magic much earlier before average. When Eirlys reached school age, Andreas received a sudden letter telling him and Sonorie that there were something odd worth investigating throughout Europe. As such, the couple hurriedly shipped her off to Hogwarts and left Llywelyn at Sonorie’s father, Glasnant Selwyn’s estate. The problem was Ellis. The estate was already hectic enough for one more person to stay, let alone two, he had nowhere to go. When the final day until departure arrived, Sonorie was sent another letter from her older sister Rhea Selwyn, whom she had not heard from for a long time. The letter itself was twenty pages of her lamenting the loss of her cottage in a freak accident (involving fire) and how she and her children had nowhere to stay. But Rhea was of no weak character—she was a squib who was disowned by her family, and managed to survive prosecution during the war whilst caring for her own family. Naturally there should be some suspicion, as to why a tough person like her wrote such a long letter, which included details like what colour the 159th tile on the roof was. Though Sonorie didn’t want to start bickerings with her own sister, so she kindly replied back, telling Rhea she could stay in the May residence as long she cares for Ellis when they would be gone. Hence, Rhea arrived with her children and her luggage, promising she would take extremely good care of her sister’s child and waited for the couple to leave. Rhea was at most, a mediocre caretaker who often makes mistakes. Squibs like her, were often looked at with contempt in the wizarding society because of their lack of magic, and it was even worse for them to born in a pure-blood family. She was raised separate from the rest of the family like a Muggle, attending Muggle school with no exposure to magic until the war begin. There she witnessed use of Unforgivables because her connections to the Selwyn family. She saw how people could die instantaneously with just a flick of a wand, how they would writhe in agony when a simple incantation was uttered, and betray their loved ones with a flash of light. After that, she found magic fascinating for a while. At first, Rhea wasn’t very used to the accidental magic Ellis exhibited—it had already been many years after the war, so she tried to inhibit it by locking away everything magic related into an ersatz shed. After a while, she regained her interest and wanted to see it, so she bribed him with spellbooks she had taken from his bookcase, something she knew he was interested in. Her ploy worked, though the magic was accidental and it wasn’t under his conscious control. Ellis managed to create sparks sometimes, but nothing more than that. Then, Rhea moved on to her second plan: trying to force the magic out of him. She would make up stories like how a dark wizard was going to tear down the house, making him use it. Soon enough, Ellis started to suppress the magic because he despised seeing it being exploited by Rhea. So when he was unable to perform tricks for her, she called him a fraud. Meanwhile, his parents had already been gone for nearly a year, and they were sending letters home less frequently too. He was frustrated at these circumstances and asked Rhea to do something about it, but she brushed it off and commanded him to do more magic. The cycle continued, from Rhea suppressing magic to her interest towards it and it never seemed to end. Ellis had nearly forgotten about Hogwarts—he was surprised when the fated, green inked letter finally arrived at the doorstep, thinking that it would never come. His parents were also back from their expedition. Finally, Rhea was gone from the house and he was going to school. First Year (2017 – 2018) His first year at Hogwarts could be summed up with two words—rather boring. He couldn’t be bothered with the lessons as many covered with things he already knew, and they were tedious in general. Sitting in a classroom whilst reading century old textbooks and writing essays were never one of his interests. Aren’t Ravenclaws supposed to like studying? Not with Ellis, unless the Sorting Hat made a mistake. He was good at potion brewing, getting E’s in the subject but he didn’t really care. One notable event that shaped his school year was known as the ‘Lake Incident.’ On a fine Autumn afternoon, Ellis headed to the grounds to meet some of his fellow students when he decided to practice some spells. One spell that was casted was the Cruciatus curse, unsurprisingly, this did not sit well with the other students. He lost nine points for his house, at first he didn’t bother, but as time progressed he started hearing rumours about how the points would be lost. His carefully built public façade would start to crumble. Because of that, Ellis started to answer questions in class, hoping it would earn Ravenclaw points back—at one point, he was one of the top point earners even. Then, the second school year shaping event occurred. This one was dubbed ‘Owl Incident’ by a number of professors, and you guessed it, it involves owls. Ellis and Ivy Su were chatting in the library when the conversation topic turned to first year Ember Auclair. He claimed that Ember was abusing her owl, and Ivy was outraged after hearing what had happened. She started making pamphlets and started a union with him called the Society For the Liberation of Our Avian Friends, abbreviated S. L. A. F. for short. Then they went on to find Ember in the Ravenclaw common room, and save her owl from being neglected. Ember didn’t want to hand over her owl, so they resulted to hexing her and forcefully taking her owl away to St. Mungo’s. Finally, it was revealed that Ember’s owl wasn’t being abused at all, instead, they were the ones wrong. From this incident, Ellis had learnt to be more cautious, no longer believing in hearsay unless there is proof. "The sky seemed to have dimmed, clouds billowing overhead. It had a rugged coastline, with large boulders surrounding it. Some were completely submerged in the murky water, causing it to receive less damage than the exposed, windblown ones. Their surroundings looked bare, with the exception being the shores—it was peppered with old artifacts other heedless youths from past generations left. A few weeds thrived in between jagged rocks, but no other greenery was there. Combined with the quickly darkening sky and ear-splitting cracks of thunder, average eleven-year-olds would turn away without a second thought." ''–Description of the cave. After winter break, he met fellow first year Luce Delacroix. The two were kindred spirits, and unlike most people he has encountered, he considers Luce to be more than a typical acquaintance. Together they went on many adventures, including one where they sailed across the Great Lake of Hogwarts, where they found a cave in the midst of it. Second Year (2018 – 2019) Family http://www.familyecho.com/?p=HFBSY&c=13j2l9r3oad&f=857161288286390775 Personality ''"Why are you so kind to me, Ellis? What did you see in me?"—his eyes are starting to get wet again. "No one saw me as a person before, but you..." –Zeph Melikov-Devlin’s reaction to Ellis’ public façade. TBA. Fanfiction by Caius Marx and Athalia Derwent's Player – Ellis of May "Now, to tell the tale of Ellis of May." The boy said to the children around the campfire. It's flickering flames casting jumping shadows in the dark reaches of the forest. "He is what was once referred to as..." The children hold their breath as one, the whites of their eyes starkly outlined in the gleam of firelight. A moment's pause, three, and then, "... an Ollivander." The group of children gasped collectively, as the word escaped the storyteller's lips. The speaker spoke softly, but his words were heard all around the campire, "As we all know Ollivanders were a mysterious race, known for their odd ways and their longevity." The children nodded, they had all heard tales of the great Ollivanders. "The first Ollivander gave the wands to the earthly mages, giving them true control over magic." There's a pointed pause after this in which the children gasp as one, each of them... obviously unaware of what this even is, judging by the way they eye each other sidelong as though they mean to find their answers in another's face. "Oh, surely you've heard of an Ollivander," the storyteller scoffs, grasping at his chest in a theatrical manner. Of course they don't; they're just children. It's part of the story, though, and his wide, tremulous gaze sets the scene. They're enraptured. "Many, many, Ollivanders came after the first - whose name is unknown - but the most notable Ollivander was Ellis of May." The boy spoke, a sizzle in the campfire making everyone jump, "Ellis of May, for to speak only his first name is to bring disrespect unto him, gave wands of untold power. Parts of magical beasts never before used for wands were used in his, elder was his chosen wood." "The wands he crafted were eventually labelled 'Meme wands'. Tales are told of those who have the ability wield those." He whispered, his hands moving in grand gestures, "It is unknown what the word 'Meme' means, as it is from the old tongue, but it is considered a word of great respect." Other Notes * If Ellis had went to Ilvermorny, he would be sorted into Horned Serpent. * He was nearly chosen by hawthorn, silver lime, and maple wands at Ollivanders. Category:Ravenclaws Category:Students Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Pure-bloods Category:Class of 2024 Category:Bookworms